Visit The Place You Want To Write About

Pieter Spier, a Dutch American, is a well known author of children's books. He made a wise suggestion to me in a letter, stating: "If you're going to write about a certain country or locality, you need to visit that place and see it for yourself. Nothing can substitute for that."

I thought, "Hmmm, sounds like good advice, but how would I have the opportunity to go to the Netherlands?" So I prayed about it. I knew if the Lord wanted me to go, He'd make a way.

Then in January of 1989, as I sat at my desk, it suddenly seemed so real to me that I'd be going to Holland. I could actually see myself there and knew beyond a doubt that soon I'd be walking on Dutch soil. This was really exciting, but the thrilling part happened shortly after. An announcement came over the radio, stating: "For a short period of time, Pan American Airline is offering a promotional. Plane tickets to Europe are selling for $298.00 round trip." Wow, what an answer to prayer!

My husband Dan was at Northland College, in Wisconsin, assisting with the filming for Unusual Films. I didn't dare wait until he came home, several days to a week later. Instead, I called him long-distance, told him of the offer on WMUU, and asked him if it'd be okay if I made our reservations immediately. He agreed, and I was ecstatic.

I wasted no time in getting our tickets. From that point on, I was walking on cloud nine, and when May 14, 1989 arrived, Dan and I set off to visit the Netherlands.

This was the trip of my life and my dream come true. I took my camera, of course, and Dan took two, one slung over his left shoulder and the other over his right. One had 35 mm color negatives for prints, while the other had 35 mm film for slides. If you haven't already guessed, yes, my husband is a professional photographer. What better way to travel, than to have your own personal cameraman with you? Needless to say, we got hundreds of awesome shots. And those pictures are a living testimony of what we saw and experienced in the Netherlands. What a great source to fall back on when you need to describe your character's costume, the interior of her home, or her quaint village.

So, take a tip from Peter Spier and visit that place you want to write about.

Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.    Jeremiah 33:3